Dynamite had some spark!
Moxley put the International Championship on the line against Big Bill to start off this week's edition of BOUT BLITZ. It went as well as expected and I do mean that in a positive manner. Jon was himself, as usual, so you'll already know what you're getting there.
You love him or you don't. He, of course, bled.
Big Bill was once again reminding folks that he's the best dude of that size to ever do it.
Starks did get involved later on, crotching the champ on the ropes for a nearfall moment, leading to Danielson running out to pound on the miniature people's champ.
The final minute or so felt like it was a bit off, but the rest was fairly good.
After, Starks and Bill took control. Claudio would run out and show his strength and run them away.
Next, Brian Cage/Adam Page III. Wanna watch their first two matches?
Match One is from and Dynamite, mid-2021 was won by Cage.
Match Two is from Double or Nothing 2021 and was won by Adam. (The link is just highlights.)
In this one, with everyone's favorite, living, fake prince at ringside, the two were in very different places than they were then. It's fun sometimes looking back at how different the place is these days.
It can be a drag sometimes, too.
Anyway, a dead eye put this one away and gave Page the rubber match. Swerve hated that.
This was as good as expected given the talent involved, too. Both stepped up nicely and the right dude, given the circumstances especially, won.
After, Strickland and Adam was set for WrestleDream. Nice.
Cage and Prince attacked (and danced) until Matt and Nick showed up.
The entire thing was just solid television in general.
Next, Don Callis and Takeshita arrived to reveal a new masterpiece and their new target. It was true piece of art, ladies, gentlemen, and nonbinaries and they are planning on destroying Kenny's heart, Kota Ibushi and they want Omega to watch because they're sick bastards.
Soup gave Tony some flowers after because he's a sweet dude.
Moving along, we had Roderick Strong taking on Samoa Joe with the winner set to face MJF at Grand Slam in the Dynamite main event. Both had stories in place, but the best option is the one they ran with:
Joe standing tall!
Strong did get to showcase his talent nicely enough, with The Kingdom at ringside for those keeping track, and Joe was Joe which is, of course, always a treat. In all, this was a very good television match and a more than serviceable main event bout.
The King of TV talked some shit after. Roderick then flopped on the floor when he saw Cole coming out while Taven and Mike cried and complained about Adam in a very cringe moment of TV that I'm not sure many people really would've enjoyed.
Joe choked out Cole to finally end this segment.
Don't end your show like this, Tony. Seriously. While the choke out was fine, it took a long time to get there and the entire thing was just too much of a bloated bore in all.
IMPACT hits 1,000 episodes!!!
Props to the former TNA for hitting 1,000 episodes. That's a MAJOR milestone and I've honestly enjoyed the ride far more than most of y'all appear to.
First, we had showcase of the Knockouts past and present. Admittedly I find Trinity to be one of the worst workers in the ring during this, but it's fine. I get it. Either way, this was a must-see encounter for anyone that's been along for the ride and I really enjoyed it, even if it was admittedly a bit cringe at times.
Feast or fired had a few spots that were bigger than the circumstances, but for the stipulation it was fine.
Bey, Moose, Yuya, and Steve walked away with briefcases. Isn't Yuya due back in Japan so he can stop being Okada'd?
Hey, look. It's Team 3D. They won an extended squash. It was fine for a reunion.
Alexander came out to chat. Shelley came out to play heel. A great dynamic and honestly this will be an awesome contest. I'm a bit split, but I've been a big fan of Alex for years and want him to have more than a transitional reign. It'd feel like Maclin and he were just afterthoughts to Josh. As much as I absolutely loved Alexander's run...
Yeah...
The Rascalz attacked right as the two were about to go at it. They stalled until The Rascalz resumed their damage, but the champ would walk out and watch in approval.
An enjoyable segment.
The main event of Episode 1,000 (part one, though lets be honest and say that 1,000 part two is just 1,001) saw Lio Rush defend the X-Division strap against Chris Sabin.
Chris apparently wants to Flair the title because he's now at 10 reigns.
At 16-minutes, they were given plenty of time and they did very well with it. Not much of a surprise. Lio, on his 18th retirement seemingly, was good as champ but this was a big episode and required a big moment. They delivered. Big. Many from the locker room came to give him props after.This also means the MCMG are both singles champs, again.
If you only have time for one thing from the episode, make it this one! Hell, it's the best thing from the entire set.
That one movie based off of a game with animals fighting...
Oh, Mustafa Ali finally is free. Destination?
On Impact he'd be X-Division Champ quickly and would have a decent spot on their show.
On AEW television, he'd join a unit and be another name on the roster but would put in for good shit when he'd get time. Maybe he'd eventually fight for a belt. He'd likely be a decent part of Ring of Honor.
Those seem like the two more likely options.
Oh, note that cuts come today. I knew it was coming this week, but I admittedly thought it was due yesterday. This company is going to be very different by the end of 2024 either way.
Anyway, I reviewed this show live HERE. The only match I included from it on the playlist was Jade's sendoff. It was good. At least the show had something of note happen.
AEW Saturday Night Nitro
Claudio and Danielson faced Starks and Big Bill to kick off Collision coverage. It was a good tag team contest, for sure.
I think Punk being cut was a good move. He was a poison to the locker room. I also think this show's tone has completely vanished over the course of a few weeks and feels like a second Dynamite now. This card actually looked far more like an extended Rampage.
The effort level was Dynamite territory, at least.
The BCC were awesome, of course, but Ricky and Bill were given a lot and came off looking great, too. Starks would hit a low blow and his finish to put away Dragon to end this one. A pretty good contest in all and the win felt like a big deal.
Claudio ran their opponents off after with a chair.
It's Toni Storm: Portrait of a STAR! time with RJ. I love Storm, but I'd be lying if I said this didn't feel like something WWE would air. You decide...
It's a too be continued.
The Iron Bears challenged FTR for the brand's tag straps next. I dig the challengers. They're good dudes and decent workers and they ran with the chance and won over some new fans. The only issue? This ran just over three-minutes so the stage was small. FTR remain perhaps the best part of this show almost each week.
The Workhorsemen made a challenge after. It should be pretty good, too. I'm all for these dudes getting a chance to really show their stuff, but I hope the next match is longer.
John Silver replaced Uno to face Bowens in our next match. I'm not sure what happened, but it felt like Tony saw complaints about the card and thought the goddamn meat man was what the episode needed.
I mean, perhaps that's fair? He's mini-Cesaro. Who doesn't want more of him on TV?
Considering everything, the Dark Order/Acclaimed program block was decent and the closing stretch was especially enjoyable. I didn't need the shit finish, though.
It's televised wrestling and that shit happens. I just don't love it.
Next up, Aussie Open won a squash and mocked FTR for taking too long against the Savages. FTR versus the Aussies will be fire.
Last up, Kris defended once more; this time putting the Women's TV Championship on the line against Baker. I was a bit nervous of the direction here, but honestly appreciated keeping Stat strapped in favor of the opposite option. I also appreciate the clean finish. Baker looked good in defeat, though I should knock some points for the Penn State garb.
Yes, I'm kidding. Yeah, it wasn't really funny. No, I don't care.
This week, Kris really put on a display and showed fans that she is a deserving champ. May her reign continue to bare fruit. My only issue here was the flash pin protected finish, but it was more logical here than many of the other times they've ran it lately.
Hart watched on.
Check out the playlist, watch the embedded videos for the best of the best, or just skip around in general. Thanks for reading. Oh, and note that CMLL held their big Aniversario event last week on Saturday. It rocked. Let me know if you need help watching it.
Match Ratings
- International Title: Jon Moxley(c) vs Big Bill ***
- Brian Cage vs Adam Page ***1/2
- Grand Slam Eliminator Tournament Finals: Samoa Joe vs Roderick Strong ***1/2
- Feast or Fired **1/4
- Team 3D vs Desi Hit Squad ES
- X-Division Title: Lio Rush(c) vs Chris Sabin ****
- TBS Title: Kris Statlander(c) vs Jade Cargill ***1/4
- Blackpool Combat Club vs Ricky Starks, Big Bill ***1/2
- AEW Tag Titles: FTR(c) vs Iron Savages NR
- John Silver vs Anthony Bowens **3/4
- Aussie Open vs PB Smooth, Wes Barkley NR
- TBS Title: Kris Statlander(c) vs Britt Baker ***1/2
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